Prince Hall Freemasonry Needs an "Obama!"
by Bro. Antonio Caffey
With the election of President Barack Obama, America has stated, its time for a change. Indeed,
President Obama ran on a theme of hope and change. With the country currently going through the
worse economic crisis since the great depression and involved in two wars, the time was right for that
theme. Throughout history, there have been people who came along at the right time and the right
place to offer "real" change. The problems that this country is facing are unprecedented. Only time
will tell if we selected the right person for the job. President Obama has the hopes and dreams of an
entire nation focused on him and his administration.
One of the reasons I love Masonry so much is that often times you can draw parallels between it and
society. With that being said, who will be the "Obama" for Prince Hall Masons? Given the state of our
affairs (membership decline, turmoil with the AEAONMS, corruption etc.) we really could use one.
Prince Hall Masonry needs that transformative figure to help us see that we have to become that
progressive Fraternity that we once were. We need someone that will help us realize the role we
played in our communities across this country and the impact that we had on this country. We need
someone who knows our historical significance and will be able to instruct the Brethren forthwith.
One thing that stood out to me the most during President Obama's campaign was his ability to form
a grassroots movement for change. This is something that Prince Hall Masonry must also do.
Unfortunately a lot of our leaders are more concerned with their egos and not the betterment of the
Craft. The change we need will have to start in our individual Lodges. Once this coalition is built, only
then will we be able to make the improvements we need.
While President Obama was giving his speech after he won the election, I called my father. He said
(like so many other Americans) that he thought he would never see this in his lifetime. My father grew
up in the 50s and 60s in Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights era. He saw first hand the
racism and discrimination that we faced. For me, this election was about those people who sacrificed
their time, effort and lives. Prince Hall Masons owe those men who sacrificed their time, effort and
lives for our Fraternity. I ask you Brethren; can we take the theme and strategies from President
Obama's historic campaign and apply it towards our present situation? YES WE CAN!
by Bro. Antonio Caffey
With the election of President Barack Obama, America has stated, its time for a change. Indeed,
President Obama ran on a theme of hope and change. With the country currently going through the
worse economic crisis since the great depression and involved in two wars, the time was right for that
theme. Throughout history, there have been people who came along at the right time and the right
place to offer "real" change. The problems that this country is facing are unprecedented. Only time
will tell if we selected the right person for the job. President Obama has the hopes and dreams of an
entire nation focused on him and his administration.
One of the reasons I love Masonry so much is that often times you can draw parallels between it and
society. With that being said, who will be the "Obama" for Prince Hall Masons? Given the state of our
affairs (membership decline, turmoil with the AEAONMS, corruption etc.) we really could use one.
Prince Hall Masonry needs that transformative figure to help us see that we have to become that
progressive Fraternity that we once were. We need someone that will help us realize the role we
played in our communities across this country and the impact that we had on this country. We need
someone who knows our historical significance and will be able to instruct the Brethren forthwith.
One thing that stood out to me the most during President Obama's campaign was his ability to form
a grassroots movement for change. This is something that Prince Hall Masonry must also do.
Unfortunately a lot of our leaders are more concerned with their egos and not the betterment of the
Craft. The change we need will have to start in our individual Lodges. Once this coalition is built, only
then will we be able to make the improvements we need.
While President Obama was giving his speech after he won the election, I called my father. He said
(like so many other Americans) that he thought he would never see this in his lifetime. My father grew
up in the 50s and 60s in Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights era. He saw first hand the
racism and discrimination that we faced. For me, this election was about those people who sacrificed
their time, effort and lives. Prince Hall Masons owe those men who sacrificed their time, effort and
lives for our Fraternity. I ask you Brethren; can we take the theme and strategies from President
Obama's historic campaign and apply it towards our present situation? YES WE CAN!